Intermittent vertical coking retort oven



Aug. 16, 1932- J. VAN ACKEREN 1.872.531

NTERMITTENT VERTICAL COKING RETORT OVEN Filed Jan. 8. 1927 '7 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR abrigo/7 van Ackeren. BY p ATQRY J. VAN ACKEREN INTERMITTENT VERTICAL COKING RETORT OVEN Filed Jan. 8. 1927 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ab mfzckefen. QM

TTORN Aug. 16, 1932.

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W M, i932 J. VAN ACKEREN INTERMITTENT VERTICAL COKING' RETORT`0VEN Filed Jan. 8. 1927 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR mnc/efzen.

3 l Jam/'og l a 'AT RN H//f ///l '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 J. VAN ACKEREN INTERMITTENT VERTICAL COKING vRETORT OVEN Filed Jan. 8.

Aug l, 1%32s mvENToR Josep/5 ma cenen.

BY @D rATT RN ug. 16, 1932. J. VAN ACKEREN 1,872,531

INTERMIVTTENT VERTICALCOKIVG RETORT OVEN Filed Jan. 8. 1927 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 vINVENTOR Josep/1 fa/7 ,4c/6em.

BY y ATTORN ug. 16, 1932. JY VAN ACKEREN 1,872,531

INTERMITTENT VERTICAL COIKING RETORT OVEN Fired Jan. 8, 1927 7 sheets-sheet s Il mmh l I mvENToR @ab vanAce/en.

Aug. '16, 1932. J. VAN ACKEREN INTERMTTENT VERTICAL COKING RETORT OVEN Filed Jan. 8, 1927 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Dn O T N E V m Jose/ob van/qc/efen. M ATT Patented Aug. 16, 1932V JOSEPH VAN ACKEREN, DF' PITTSBURGH,V`PENNSYLY.AN I,` ASSIVGNOR `'J'.Or i

I COMPANY or DELAWARE; A-'ooRPoRATIoNODELAWARE' y.

` INTERMITTENT VERTICAL jC0-KING REVJJORJB OVEN Application .mammary vs, 1927. `,serial No. 1559,'769f. Y

My invention relates to vertical .coking retort ovens and it has particular relation to vertical combination coke .ovens ofthe intermittent type.V e i '5 My invention -hasfor one Iotits .objects .to provide a verticaleoking retort Ybattery in Which theheattliat isiapplied tothe various levels ofthe retorts may correspond substantially to the amounts of coal to befooked-at m those levels. c f Y i A yfurtherobject of my invention is .to pro?- vide a heating system .for vertical coking metort ovens wherein theA heat is appliedzuniformly across the battery and isgraduated 15 throughout the Vheight ofthe ovens inraccordance with vthe amounts of coal :at the various levels. r Y

A further obj eet ofmy invention Ais :to .providermeans whereby thedistribution ofgas .ff and air that is suppliedlupwardly tothe sev# eral flue-sections vina heating .Wall maybe easily and convenientlyfcontrolled; A'urther obj ect of myinvention-,is topprovide an arrangement Wherebyzslidingbricks may operatevto regulatetheflow offluids upwardly from a horizontatpassageway A. further object of .inventionistorpro vide .an intermittent vertical oven @that .is equipped to employ eithenlean gasforirich 'so gas as fuel.

A further object ofmy,inventionlisto'provide a supporting.structureforacoke oven battery that efectually seals thebottom sur-` face of the brickwork .thereofvand thereby 113 prevents leakage of .gas therethrough.

.A further object of my:invention Yis to; prorideva vertical coke oven .battery WithI efficient closure 4 means at the bottoms of the several retort-s whereby the charges rofmaterialgto which are sealed automatically upon` their: re-

turnfto elosedpositions. i

vrfi-still further Vobject ofimy inventionis to provide simple: and4 etficient..means vforlregur- 'latinffthe individual` supplies ofgas sand air i to theflame Hues of a coke oven battery.

be eolred maybe retained and the cokepdis-V 'In intermittent vertical seeking* retort ovens', Zit is essentialv thatA the retorts be somewhat Wider at `the bottom than yattheA top in order that the coke may be removed therefrom bygravity when the bottom Nclosure is Y removed. As v an incident .to'thisconstruction, the amount vof `coal ,to be coked atthe top of the i oven is small ,relatively .to that at. ille bottomplby `reason of ,the .differences in AWidth.

If auniiorm quantity ,of heat were applied throughoutthe entireheight of the Q ovenrthe coal at .the top-Wouldbe -eoked before that at thebottom, as will be Areadily appreciated. It is: des'ired,ptherfefordr to vheaithe ovens unie formly across'thebatteryybutfto graduateethe 5f heat .that .is :applied gfrom the bottom of the oven Ato the Ktop ,thereof substantially infac cordance with the amountof coal at'the vari ousilevels therein. i c

In accordance with ythe present invention, 76 I divide the flame iues: of a vertical', 'coking retortfoven of the intermitt'ent type ntos'ections whereby gas and air may befsuppliedat different l points in Y the Qflame c iues in order to effect a desired ,distribution ofA heat from the bottom to theltop ofthe Wall. 'Thelproducts of vcomlmstionofthe primary "iues are ,employed .to l'dilute the fuel: and; air supplied .t0 the secondary flue sections in order thatthere may be-no concentration of heajtat'the` bottom portions of the secondarylfluefsections-and less fuel is supplied to thelatter sectionsin order'that the heat developed inthem maybe less ,thanthatinthe vprimary uesections. Thesecondary flue sections are-slightlylargerthan the primaryflue sections in order that substantially uniform Vvelocitieseof fthe; products of .combustion may obtainthroughout the height of theheating Walls. f

.Ithas been proposed heretoforetoprovide vertical coke ovens ,with closures that' were bodily i removable but lwhich l, required Y doorhandling `machines and, in. addition, Vit was neeessaryto seal the do.ors.by`,luting, asin connection with 'horizontal ovens. l`Snell doorshave proven to be cumbersomeand Aditlicult' toj handle and, in addition, it was diiicultto remove the doors. andto Successfullyhandlethefalling coke. 4Much ,time is ,also :requiredto fremoveeand replace the Y doors and to render them gas-tight before rotatably mounted closure'devices that areV mechanicallyl operated to their respective ope-n or closed positions without removal Vfrom beneath t-he battery. Means are prov vided wherebythe doors are automatically sealed in a gas-tight manner when they are actuated to their closed'positions.

I provide, also, improved means for regulating the flow of preheated air and preheated lean gas to the several sections Vci the flame flues. Sliding bricks are provided in such mannerthat they may regulate the quantity f preheated air or preheated gas that is suph plied upwardly to each section of the flame lues.

My invention will be described in connection Ywith the accompanying drawings, in

which ,similar kreference numerals are employed to designate corresponding parts.

l `Figure lis a view,in'transverse vertical section, of a coke oven battery constructed in accordance .with my invention, the view being taken through one of the coking chambers; Fig. 2 is a view, in transverse vertical section', through one of the heating walls of the coke oven battery; y

Fig. 3 is aview, inlongitudinal vertical section, of a portion of the coke oven battery of Fig. 1, parts being broken away; l

Fig. 4 is a view, in broken horizontal section, taken on the YlinevIV--IV of Fig. 3 ;l

Fig. 5 isa view, in vertical section, through ay pair of the regenerators taken on the line V-'-V of Fig. 1; j

Fg.'6 is a view, in horizontal section, taken on the line VI-#VI of Fig. 5;

'Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view on line VII- VII of Fig. 8 of certain of the horizontal flues and their connections to the corresponding regenerators ;V

Fig. 8 is a sectional view, taken on the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 7

VFigl '9 is a sectional view, taken on line IX-IX of Fig. 7

" Fig. 10 is a sectional view, taken on the line X-X of Fig. 11, of one of the closures and its associated apparatus, parts being broken away; and

Fig. 11 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line XI-XI-of Fig. 10.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, a coke-V oven battery comprises a foundation 1, supporting columns 2, a supporting wall3 and a main oven structure'comprising side walls 4'and 5 that rests upon the wall V3 and a beam 6 on the columns 2. The sides of the battery are provided with buck-stays 7 that are held together by means of tie rods 8 and plates 9. Extending between the walls 4 and 5 are vertical coking retorts 11 of any convenient or desiredv number, through one of which a pipe line 19 to a main 20. Regenerators 22 that cooperate with the heating systems of' `the several heating walls 12 are located along fthe supporting wall 3 and below the main oven structure. The regenerators 22 are provided with sole channels 23. Producer gas or other lean gasis supplied from a gas main 24 having suitable regulating `valves 25 at each outlet therefor. A main 26 conducts waste'gases to the stack. Each retort 11 is provided with aclosure mechanism 27, the details of which will be later described. A car 28 receives the coke from the several retort ovens.

lReference may now be had to Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, in which certain structural details of the coke oven battery are illustrated. Each of the retorts 11 comprises a relatively narrow vertical passage of elongated crosssection and tapering between adjacent heating walls 12, the greater width being at the bottom in order to facilitate Athe removal of coke by'gravity at the completion of the operation. Each retort chamber is provided with-agcentral charging opening 30.

Each heating wall 12 is provided with vertical heating iues, divided into lower or primary sections 33 and upper or secondary sections 34' that are in vertical alinement and are suiiiciently closely adjacent that each of the alined upper and lower sections together constitute a'substantially continuous heating flue. The upper or. secondary flue sections arer wider than the flower sections for rea sons previously stated. The number of heating ues may be in accordance with the horizontal length of the walls 12, five being shown by way of example in the lstructure illustrated herein. Y As shown in Fig. 4, each of theheating flues is substantially rectangular in cross-section, the end portions of which, in the case of the primary sections 33, are slightly wider than the intermittent portions. The closely adjacent ends of the upper and the lower sections are formed by an intermediate or horizontal brickwork 35, through which the primary and secondary sections are connected and through which the secondary sections are supplied with gas and air, as will be later described.

The flue system of each of the heating walls is operatively connected bymeans of lower horizontal flues 36 and 37 to two regenerators 22 of the usual checkerwork type, one of which appears in Fig. 1. When producer gas, or other lean gas is employedasa fuel, oneof the horizontal lues conveys preheated gas andthe other-'conveys preheatedair to both the upper and the lower sections ofthe several hea-ting fines of each wall in which gas is being burned.

As will be Vnoted in Fig. 3,l each of the horizontal iiues 36 and 37 is substantially directly connected through suitable ports to keach of the lower or primary iiue sections 33. The horizontal iiues 36 and 37 are also connected to the upper iue sections 34 by means of ducts 38 that extend between and closely parallel thelower sections 33.

Alternate ducts 38 are connected-to the horizontal flue 36 and the other ducts 38 are connected to the horizontal flue 37 As is shown in Fig. V2, each of the ducts 38, eXcept the end ones, have branches 39 connected to two of the upper flue sections '34, the branches 39 being located in the horizontal brickwork 35K. By meansof this arrangement, each of the upper flue sections is supplied with preheated fuel and preheated airby the employment of a minimum number of ducts 38.

`Each of the openings leading from the horizontal iues 36 and 37 to the lower flue sections 33 and tothe ducts 38 is controlled by a sliding brick 4l that is located in agroove V42, immediately above the Vcorresponding horizontal hue. Certain of these bricks' appear in Figs. 3 and 8. The positions ofthe sliding bricks 41 may be adjusted through openings 43 in the side wall 5, the openings beingpordinarily closed by removable bricks V44. The positions of the sliding bricks 41 control the distribution of air and gas to the several iues within each heating wall.

In case coke oven gas or rich gas is employed as a fuel, it is supplied, without preeating, to each series of flue sections by means of gas guns 45 of usual construction that are respectively connected to the bottom portions of each of the flue sections. The gas gun for supplying the upperflue sections eXtends through the horizontal brickwork'35. The gas guns 45 for supplying the lower iiue sections are suspended beneath' the floors of the heating walls and are connected,

'by vertical pipes 46, to the bottom portions of the corresponding iue sections. The latter arrangement is clearly shown in Fig. 3. The products of combustion from the lower flue sections 33 pass upwardly through ducts 48 in the horizontal brickwork into the secondary sections 34. The combined products of combustion of the -lower and the `upper flue sections of each wall pass upwardly into an'upper horizontal iiue 49, the openings into which are controlled by sliding bricks 50 that are seated inf a groove 5l in 'the-lower-portion .of the flue-49. vThe bricksO also controllindireetly the-distributionof the heating since they control the 'flow of vproducts:ofcombustion.` The positions ofthe sliding .bricks l50 may be `regulated `through inspection `openings 52-through1thetop ofthe batteryf The upper horizontal flues 49 ofco-operatingheating walls 12 are connected by twocro'ss-over ,zes

ators 22 are arranged in pairs-withthe eXception ofthe end regenerators which-are a single unit inasmuch asthey-supply va single horizontal flue. `The regenerators 22 are each provided at the top thereof witha duct 55. that is connected to the corresponding horizontal line by means of a curved metal pipe or elbow 56 that is lined with refractory material having'y two ducts 57 therethrough for a pair of regenerators. The ducts through thepipe 56 are connected to ducts 58 that extend through the'wall 4 and are connected to the ends of ythe corresponding horizont-al lues 36 and 37.` The pipe 56 is provided with flanges 59thatengage the buck-stays and are connected thereto in any suitable-manner, as by rivets or welding. kThe spaces 57 is attached are iilled with suitable refractory material, cores being inserted initially to provide the passageways therethrough.

VBy referring to Fig. 8, it willbe noted that the pairs of regenerators-are not connected to corresponding pairs of horizontal lues 36 and 37, but` are connected to iues of dierent heating walls. This arrangement is provided in order that both members of each .pair of regeneratorsare being traversed simultaneously either bygas, air or` wastegases. In other words, each member of a pair of regenerators is under exactly similar operating conditions.

`Reference may now be had to Figs. 10 and 11, in which the details of the closure mechanism27 for one of the. retorts llare shown inv enlarged detail. Beneath cach retort l1 and surrounding the bottom opening thereof are flanged hollow castings 60 that extend into, and are supported by, the concrete beam 6 on the tops-of 'the columns 2 and by the wall 3. Thev castings 60 constitute supporting frames for the bottom of the oven structure. The joints between the side flanges-of adj acent supporting frames 60 are sealed, for eX- ample, by pitch and asbestos rope whereby lthe entirebottom surface of the brickwork is covered andA leakage of gas through the joint-s thereof is prevented.

In addition `to the anchorage in the wall 3 i bolts 63 by means of which it is supported.Y

and. beam 6, Atierods V.61 thatefxtend Vbeneath the battery also tend to support and maintain the frames in theinpositions. Castings 62 are also anchored respectively to the supportingwall Sand to the concrete beam 6 and .are provided with eye-bolts V63 that are pivotally connected thereto.

. The door mechanism, comprises an elongated frame structure 64, ofy trough shape, having outwardly extending lugs 65st the corners thereof for connection to the eye- The frame 64 has parallel and continuous outer and inner walls 66 and 67 thatform a relatively deep trough upon the left side of the frame 64, asl viewed in Fig. ll, and the ends of the frame 64 and a relatively Vshallow trough upon the opposite side. The central. portion of the frame 64 is open.

An'elongated door 68, the outer surface of which constitutesa portion of acylinder and having segmental end portions 69, is .rotatably supported on the ends of the frame 64 by means of bearing members 70 and V7l, to which the door 68 is rigidly secured. The member 71,7which is in the form of a short shaft, is connected to a shaft 72, only a portion of which is shown, and which maybe connected to anyV suitable power device (not shown) for operating the door 68.

The entire closure mechanism 27 comprising' the frame 64 and its connected parts may be removed as a unit by first supporting the frame 64 while the nuts areremoved from the eye-bolts 63. The eye-bolts swing to vertical positions and permitv the' withdrawal of the entire closure imechanism. The latter may be assembled by reversing the operations.

The trough constituted by the interior and exteriorwalls of the frame 64 permits the door 68 to berotated to the left from its illustrated or closed position, the deep trough receiving the side of the' door and the shallow portion of the trough receiving the opposite side of the door when Vin its illustrated or closed position.

The trough is filled with ammoniacal liquor that is supplied through sprays 74 for removing any tar that may flow from the retort 1l upon the outer surface of the door 68. Suitable drains 75 are provided for withdrawing the contents ofV the trough when desired. A gas-tight connection between the retort 11 and the liquid seal afforded by the ammoniacal liquor is insured by a casing 76 of substantially rectangular shape that extends below the level of the ammoniacal liquor and is connected to an annular plate member 77, having upwardly curved ends conforming to the door 68, both of these members being secured to the frame 60.

` The lower side of the hollow portion of the frame 60, which surrounds the retort 1l,

ing wall 3. This arrangement renders unnecessary the provision of supporting beams or other intermediate framework that has been used heretofore. VIn addition, there is no eXposedfbriclrworlr on the bottom'of the oven and lealrage vofugas through the brickworlr is eectually prevented by the upper surfaces of the supporting frames 60 and the substantially gas-tight joints therebetween. v

Expansion of the foundation structure is substantially prevented `by the cooling system constituted by the water-filled chambers 8 thatl surround the bottom opening of each of the retorts and: operate to maintain the supportingcastings and the lower portion of the brickwork at a comparatively low temperature. The layer of colte breeze in the bottomY of each colring chamber operates, also, to insulate the door mechanism and the lower brickworlr` from the hot charge above and Athus assists in maintaining relatively low temperatures beneaththe battery. Further, yexpansion jointsmay be provided'between the frames" 60 and their supports whereby any expansion of the frames is oompensated. Consequently, there is rno danger of damage tothe supporting foundations and structure by reason of expansion while the battery is in operation.

It may be assumed that the battery has been' 'brought to operating temperature and that it is desired to start thev coling operations. The charging operation will be described in connection with one ofthe retorts ll, the same procedure being followed in connection with the remainder of the retorts. The door V68 of the oven to be charged is in its closed position, as illustrated in Figs. lO

and 1l. The larry car 13 then discharges a sufficient quantity of colle breeze through the charging opening 30 of the oven to be charged that it fills the bottom portion of the oven. to a heightV substantially corresponding to the bottoms of 'the flame flue sections The coke breeze is provided in order that all of the'co'al to be coked may be in Contact with the wall that is subjected to the heat evolved in the flame flues. The

larry car is neXt operated to discharge a suf- 1 icicnt amount of coal'to till the retort 1l to the desired level and the charging opening 8O is thereupon closed.

The lovens are heated with cold, clean producer gas that enters the heating system from the main 24 through metal regulating-valves ISO l pairs offregeneratorsr 22` into the correspondf ing horizont'aliflues: 36 andSf'Z., Prehcateglsgas, and air are supplied to ther bottoni-g portions of' certain of the', primary'iiue sectionsl 33; to ',-supplyheat to the@heatingWallS1l2A In* Illhe products oficombustionl fromthe primary iiues. 33. pass upwardly*y through the ducts 48 inA the; horizontalr briclrvvorlr,V 3,5, andvr into the bottom. portion; othc SQGODLIY fill@ sections 34.. Preheaited producer gasrand pre1V heated air are also supplied to vthe bottom portionsof the secondary flue; sectionsv 34 by the ducts 38 andthe branch ducts 3i9 ini the hori-v zontal bri'clrwork 35. This arrangementyinsures thatl there will be no concentration ot heat at the bottom portion; of the second-ary llame lues 34, since the combustible gas is diluted at these points by the Waste gases of the primary flue sections Itis desirable that less heat be applied to the coalfto be cokedin the upper portion of the retort by reason of the relatively narrow Width ofthe retort and the correspondingly smaller amount of coal to be coked. This arrangement, therefore, enables the heat to be applied in' accordance With the relative amounts of coal trom the bottom to the top of the retorts. Words, the heatapplied to 'the retort 11 yis tapered substantially in accordance with the shape of the retort'.` a

The combined products'of combustion of the primary and thel secondary flue Sect-ions pass upwardly into the upperhorizontal Hue 49 that exten-ds along the ltopy oeachheating Wall 'and thence through the cross-.over fines' 53 into 'the upper horizontal iue 4901:' an

associated heating Wall-'f The highlyheated products of-conibustion then pass-downwardly through 'the secondary ilue section' 44,` the `ducts 48 andftlieiprimary flue sections 33 into the horizontal ues '35 and 37, from which they flow through the fpair vof -regcueratQrs `connectedthereto into the Waste gas main26, which |i's-connectedto the stack c The operation-described above :is stypical-01E that of eachpair'of (3o-operativelyassociated heating Walls. The direction'oflflowof gases inthe associated y'heating Walls is freversed at desired intervalsriniorderithat the-heat; stored bu'stion may be: utilizedinpreheatingiairl and gas for the succeedingfperiod. I

During, the'process of cbking, gasisfevolved and "Huid pressure will f be exerted upon vthe bottom ofY theA oven. vAccordingly, lthe ammoniacal liquor? between: the sides of'ithedoor f 68 and the casing 76 .is depressedsubstantiallyasfillustrated in @F igs.:l0 and llxuntilr4 the head of the-'liquonn the remaining portion 765 Y,of theitroughiequals -thelfluidpressureiexert- In fother 'in' the regenerators'QQ'bylthe productsfoflcomedbyfthe eas A 'lhe sasnthe-Qven pesssput the-oflftalge,16` intothe main 17. when thefcoalwithnone ofthe retortsllC isl completely cokedand it is desiredtojreff movegthe same, the.. door 68 at thebottprn, 70 thereofis operated; through theshait 72-it the left, -asviexvedzinFig 11, the deep, polttionsofthe-trough receiving the side andends, ot the door.- Thecoke then falls bygrat/,ity through the. open space between the deepl and '(5 the, shallowV trough portions yinto the coke; neceiy-i-ng car 28., When. the ycoke is: entirely removed, the door 6871is. operated to,` its,I illusi` tratecl or closed position, in which it again v sealed in a gas-tight manner by the ammonia- @al 1;;iq11Qr. 'lhey Oven may then; belllei in the manner previously describedfrst, i bf' l the introduction of coke breeze and lthen` the charge ofcoal;y Y

When .the coke is dumped upon the. usual 8# coke Wharf, the breeze may be screened out' anda Suiioiertquantty retained to= SupPlif the amounts required in charging the ovens;

The. heating of the coke oven batteryha's been described in connection with the useof 99 producer gas that has been cooled and cleaned r i andis suppliedthrough metal valves which insures that the heating system `will notbe clogged. dirt or residue that is incident to producer gas that yissupplied directly'to the gli battery, However, if desired, coke oven gas er other rich gas'my be employed as. affliel, since the Ybattery is supplied with'gas 45, by means of which rich gas maybe plied .tothe bettomfporton's of ech'eftle .19 Primary flue Seniors 33 andthefsecendary Sections 84 e I When richgas is employed, Aall ofthe regenerators are traversed either by air'or b waste gases in accordance with the direction @.105 .of flow; The flow of gases Vin .the heating system is substantially similar to vthat described inconnection withV producer gas, the Aproducts of combustion of the primary ue sections diluting the' fuel gas and 'that .is ,1210 .suppliedi-to the secondary flue sections in order :that-,there may berno heatconcentrationadjacent tothe horizontal brickwork. Bymeans of .this arrangement, thebattery may Lun- .derred by a portion of Athe gas ,that fisicol- 4,15

ylectedfinthe maiul? or, `in case it is desired to utilize the entire output for otherlpurposes, producer gas may lconstitute the fuel.

'The ycokeoven 4battery embodying inyinvention provides alleating system invvheh 120 theheating is .uniform throughout thewidth oithezbattery. and is diminished from tliebottom-toward the tOP 0f the ,.reto'rts in order thatl :theheating may correspond .substan- V.tially to thequantities-of coal tobe cokedat 125 .the various levels. v f l The provision of cross-overs for connecting therhcrizontal flues ,improves the distribution of the gases lby substantially eliminating lhori zontal travelof the-gases. The proluets i130 ffpcolbson f he Veriesoitfluejseaten-ser each heating wall are combined before they enter thejregenerators and there; is, accordingly, maximum exchangehof heat between the waste gases and the air inthe regenerators;

. bottom of the brickwork of the oven and leakagefof gas with4 the attendant warping of metal structures isavoided.

YThe arrangement of the regenerators on a foundation independent of that of the battery structure permits the foundations-to be simpler andjcheaper by reason of the reduction in weight to be supportedthereby. An

.. additional advantage resides in the fact that any expansion of the regenerators'is entirely independent of that of the oven structure and lnolexpansion.joints therebetween are necessary. .Y The dispositionof the regenerators with theiroutlets closely adjacent to the horizontal lues that are supplied thereby permits the gas to' travel substantially a minimum distance,vsince the horizontal iiues must be lo- Ycated inthe bottom of the'oven structure becausev up-burningisxnecessary,in order to securetapered heating that diminishes 'pro'- gressively upward. Theshort travel of the gas diminishes Ythe resistance -to its How i., through the over structure.

""The provision of inspection openings at the top 'of the battery and of the ducts through the horizontal brickworkf for connecting thealined'upper and lower flue sections enables Ythe operator: to observe conditions at any height ofthe heating walls. Y While I have shown and described the va- Y'riousfeatures of my invention in cormection vwith intermittentl vertical -coking retort ovens, 1t will be appreciated'by those skilled vin the art that the application of'myinventionis not limited thereto. Various modifications of my invention may Voccur to others and it 1s understood, therefore, that my invention 'is not limited to vthe specic embodiments shown anddescribed herein, but may b'evariously embodied` 'within the scope of *the claims.

`I claim as my invention :l

y 1f. In a colte oven battery, the combination 4 with a vertical coking chamber that gradual- "ly widens from the top -tothe bottom thereof, i o f aV heating system therefor comprising vertical heating lues in superposed rows and meansfor supplying Vfuel tothe rows ofviiues 1n. such-quantities thattheheat applied to said cokingr chamber gradually diminishes I with the heightV thereof'.

f2; In a colte O venbattery,rthe combination l1-with' avertical coking chamber that gradual' lywidens fromv the top? to the bottom thereof,

of a heating system therefor'compi'ising heat! ing fluesV in' superposed rows that are connected by passageways andmeans for supply.

ternating coking chambers'and heating walls A therefor, each heating wall comprising a plurality of verticalY flame iues in superposed series,'two lower horizontal flues for supply-- ing fuel and air to thebottom portions of each of 'said flues for up-burningtherein a single upper horizontal flue connected vto the upperflues and aY pluralityof lues for connecting the upper horizontal flues in pairs. 4. In a vertical cole oven battery, the combinationY with a coking chamber, of Va heating wall'adj acent thereto having vertical flame ues, horizontal hues beneath said iame iues and connected thereto andY means for operatively connecting the upper ends of said flame flues, and regeneratorsbelow the level of saidvheatingrwall and equal in nuniber and substantially" directly connected to said horizontal fines. 5L' In a vertical' coke oven battery,n the combination with amain oven structure having a series of vertical coking chambers and vertical heating walls alternating therewit-h that are provided with flame-fines and horizontal flues therebeneath and V'connected thereto, of regenerators outside and1 below the level of said main oven structure 'equalrin number to that of said horizontal'fplues and so positioned with respect to said horizontal ues that they are substantially y directly vconnected thereto.

6. In a vertical coke oyen battery, the combination with aY main-oven structure comprising a series of heating walls and coking chambers alternatelyV disposed, said heating wallsJ having horizontal fluesV inthe lower portions thereof and having also combustion iues connected to said horizontal flues, of

Aregenerators supported independently of said main oven structure and having their top portions closely'madjacent to saidV horizontal lues and equal in number and substantially directly connected to the respective horizontalr flues.V

7 In a vertical'coke oven battery, theV combination with a main oven structure comrising a series of heatinof walls and cokinwv n v C h chambers alternately disposed, said heating walls having flame iues and horizontal flues beneath said flame {iues and connected thereto, of regenerators'respectively connected to one of said horizontal flues supported independently of said oven structure in such manner that thetop portions o f said regenerators are closely adjacentrto one end of said horizontal lues and are respectively connected tothe horizontal iues by passageways, the

number of regenerators being equal to that of said horizontal lues.

8. In a vertical coke oven battery, the oombination with a series of alternately disposed coking chambers and heating walls having super-posed rows of vertical flame ilues therein, of means Comprising horizontal lues for conveying lean gas and air to said flame flues, passageways extending horizontally through said walls for supplying rich gas to the upper Haine flues and passageways eX- tending vertically through the bottom of said battery for supplying rich gas to the lower ianie hues.

9. In a vertical coke oven battery, the combination with a series of alternately disposed coking chambers and heating Walls `having superposed` rows of vertical ilaine lues therein, of mea-ns comprising bottoni horizontal iiues for conveying lean gas and air to said Haine iues and passageways extending vertieally through the bottom of said battery and other passageways extending horizon'- tally in said heating walls for supplying rich gas to the rows of iiame flues, respectively.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 3rd day of January,

JOSEPH VAN ACKEREN. 

